As I write this, we are coming to the end of January. The snowdrops are already up, and the first crocuses are nudging through the soil. The birds are singing when I wake up and greedily eat the seed and suet balls that I put out each week. January is a sleepy and relentless time of year, which is why I find these hints of spring so precious and invigorating. It seemed like the perfect time for reflecting on the garden in 2025.
Starting off with the highs, we had fantastic bulbs in 2025, and the roses in May were healthy and full of colour. Autumn saw a bumper crop of apples. Unfortunately, the summer drought meant the vegetable garden bolted and withered. Tomatoes were mostly unsuccessful, and even the courgettes suffered.
My lilac tree did particularly well, and we also introduced a few new plants to the garden, including an ornamental quince and an iris. I will let you know how they get on in 2026, but so far they are still thriving. I was also pleased to see that our verbena has made a comeback now that we have taken out the box wood hedge. 2025 was also the first year that my Guernsey Lilly bloomed!
Two garden surprises last year were the giant sunflower that self seeded from the bird seed, and the return of Spiney Norman the hedgehog!
I didn’t get in the garden as much as I wanted to last year, mainly because life was busy with my daughter, but I am optimistic I can do a bit more gardening in 2026! What are you excited to grow this year?
